Page 134 of Until Next Summer

“I’m not so sure I trust that anymore,” the buyer says, peering down at him.

Jack’s face turns even redder as he sputters. “I—you—” He whirls on me. “You’ll be hearing from my attorney.”

“I look forward to it,” I say, though I’m terrified that the injunction won’t hold, that his attorneys will find a loophole to force the sale through.

For an agonizing moment I’m certain that Jack Valentine is going to laugh in my face. But then he turns and walks away, the buyer following him, the two of them muttering to each other. The contractor rolls his eyes and motions to his guys to clear out, too. The newspaper reporter slips me her card and says to call if I’m interested in telling her the whole story. The photographer snaps a couple extra pictures as they both head to the parking lot.

Before following her brother, Mary Valentine comes up to me. “I’d like to hear more about the co-op,” she says. “Will you send me some information?”

A smile stretches across my face, and I give her a hug; she feels like Lola, small and soft. “Of course. Thank you, Mary.”

She pats my cheek as she pulls away. “Thank you, Jessie. You know, my parents loved all the kids and staffers they worked with at this camp, but the way they talked about you was special. Like you were a granddaughter to them. Like family.”

I smile, her words warming me. “They felt like family to me, too.”

She gives me one last smile before heading toward the parking lot, where I expect she’ll have an uncomfortable ride home with her brother.

Soon they’re all gone, leaving behind a cloud of dust on the gravel road. I turn to face Luke, Cooper, and Hillary.

“It worked?” I say, almost to myself.

Luke nods, a proud smile on his face. “You did it.”

Cooper is smiling, too, his arm around Hillary, who has tears in her eyes.

“It really worked?” I repeat, louder, and then it all hits me in a rush: “We did it! We did it!”

Hillary runs toward me, throwing her arms around me, and we’re like teenagers again, screaming with joy as we jump in circles and cheer.

We did it.

thirty-five

Hillary

Once the Valentines and their entourage vacate the camp property and move all the construction gear out (see ya, suckers!), the four us collapse in Jessie’s cabin. Her home, the century-old building that isn’t going anywhere. Thanks to us.

Jessie looks dazed, her eyes shimmering with happy tears. “I should call Dot,” she says, her voice cracking with emotion.

“Of course,” I say. “Do you want us to leave?”

“No,” she says, slipping her phone out of her pocket. “Stay.”

I smile and take a seat on the arm of her chair, thinking back to how jealous I was of Dot and Jessie’s relationship at the beginning of summer. Now I have my own special connection with Dot, and I know Jessie has more than enough room for both of us in her life.

“Yello,” Dot says, answering the phone. Jessie has the call on speaker, and we can hear music in the background. I smile at the thought of Dot living it up with her camp girlfriend.

Jessie tells her the whole story, with me filling in details of the literal standoff. When we finish, the other side of theline is quiet, save for Brandi Carlile playing in the background.

Eventually, Dot speaks. “So camp is back on for next summer?”

“Next summer, and the next, and every summer after that,” Jessie says.

“Proud of you, Pippi,” Dot says, and the tears Jessie’s been holding back break free, sliding down her cheeks. “Nathaniel and Lola would be, too.”

We say our goodbyes and end the call with promises to talk more soon. The silence that follows is filled with such relief, it almost feels restorative.

“What now?” Luke asks.

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